Rock, Paper, Scissors
by Kitale
Summary: Morgan, Reid, and Hotch make a bet about Emily.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own criminal minds

**Summary:**Morgan, Reid, and Hotch make a bet about Emily.

**A/N:** So I just recently started to watch Criminal Minds, and I noticed how Emily could have a relationship with basically any of the guys on the show. And then this idea came to me.

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**Rock, Paper, Scissors **

**Chapter 1 **

"Shoot!"

Morgan and Reid both extended their hands, and Reid let out a cry of victory.

"Two out of three," Morgan insisted.

"What? No. That's not fair," Reid complained, refusing to give up his win.

"Not fair? Not fair? I'll tell you what's not fair. Paper beating rock is not fair," Morgan told him, with a small undertone of annoyance.

"Statistically, in competition play, it has been observed that scissors is thrown the least often. Specifically, it gets delivered 29.6% of the time, so it slightly under-indexes against the expected average of 33.33% by 3.73%. Obviously, knowing this only gives you a slight advantage."

Morgan glared at his younger colleague, frustrated that he couldn't beat him at the simple game. "There's no way in hell paper can beat rock. Is paper suppose to magically wrap around the rock, leaving it immobile? Why the hell can't paper do this to scissors? I'll tell you why. Because paper can't beat anything. A rock would tear that shit up in two seconds." Morgan leaned forward in his chair and extended his hand. "Two out of three."

Reid huffed. "Fine. On the count of three."

"One. Two. Three." They both revealed their weapon. Morgan paper. Reid scissors.

"What the…," Morgan trailed off and angrily muttered something under his breath. "How the hell did you know I was going to do that?"

"Inexperienced or flustered players will often subconsciously deliver the throw that beat their last one," Reid told him and nodded knowingly. "Since I beat you with paper on our last throw, I could easily assume that you'll play paper. My only option was to play scissors."

"This is bull. What are you? Some kind of mind reader?"

"No that's impossible. I just simply…"

Morgan rolled his eyes and quickly cut him off, "Whatever. It doesn't matter. You're still coming tonight."

"What? No," Reid squeaked out. "I won."

"You're going to let rock, paper, scissors make your decision for you?"

Reid just gaped at him. "If you would have won, then you would have let it decide for you."

"He's right," a familiar voice told them.

Morgan threw a glance over his shoulder, and he tried his best not to glare at the two men who just walked into the break room. Sighing dramatically, he asked, "Hotch, Rossi you coming tonight?"

"Where?"

"Out to get a few beers after work."

Rossi nodded from across the table. "Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Hotch sighed. "Sure."

"Ha!" Morgan exclaimed, turning back to Reid. "Even Hotch is coming."

"What's that suppose to mean?" Hotch asked and Rossi chuckled.

Morgan ignored him. "So are you coming?"

Reid shook his head. "No."

"Why not!?"

"Because you'll just try to hook me up with some girl."

"So?"

"Then you leave me alone with her and I make a fool out of myself," Reid told him honestly.

Morgan sighed. "You'll thank me one day."

"I highly doubt it," Reid muttered.

"Look, if it'll make you happy I won't try to set you up with anyone. Okay?"

Reid bit his lip and avoided eye contact as his friend waited for an answer. "Fine, I'll come." He paused for a moment and after awhile he couldn't help but add, "You know. I don't need your help to get a date."

Morgan laughed out loud at that. "Okay, whatever you say."

"It's true!" He insisted.

"Prove it."

Rossi chuckled from across the table. "You guys are ridiculous."

"I'm not proving anything to you," Reid told him as he fiddled with the tattered edges of his shirt. "Besides, you just woo them for a couple of hours and then leave the next morning."

"Whoa, hold it," Morgan cut in. "I can get a date with any girl at anytime."

"Yeah but they don't last long."

Morgan inhaled sharply. "I can keep any girl longer than a day."

Reid raised an eyebrow. "_Any_ girl?"

Morgan smiled full-heartily. "Are you saying that I can't woo any girl?"

"I'm not saying that. I just think it's a little…"

"Cocky," Rossi finished for him.

Reid nodded in agreement. "If you can get any girl, then prove it," he challenged.

Morgan smiled. "Is Reid making a bet?" he asked mockingly.

"Can we pick the girl?" Rossi asked, joining the conversation.

"I'll make a bet with you, Reid. We'll pick a girl. The same girl and whoever she likes better in the long run wins."

"That's not fair!" Reid protested. "You'll pick some girl that won't think twice about me."

"Fine, Rossi and Hotch can pick."

"This isn't going to end well," Hotch muttered under his breath. "No, I'm not picking.'

Rossi ignored him. "Okay… the next girl to get off the elevator. That'll be your girl."

They all glanced out the door that gave a view to the elevator doors, and they waited patiently for someone to get off it. After a moment the doors slowly opened to reveal none other than Emily Prentiss herself. Morgan and Reid looked around nervously.

"Should we pick again?" Reid asked his voice quivering.

Rossi laughed. "No. A bet's a bet and Emily Prentiss is your girl."

"This isn't ethical," Hotch snapped suddenly, and he turned around to glare at them all. "I won't have it."

They all stared at him, confused. "Why?"

Hotch's mind went blank. "Because…"

Morgan chuckled. "A moment ago you were going to let us do it. You don't have a thing for her. Do you?"

Hotch straightened his tie. "What? No."

Rossi rolled his eyes, knowingly. "Then it's settled."

Morgan held out his hand. "I'm in."

"For the love of God," Hotch muttered, his anger boiling inside him.

"Me too," Reid agreed to their disbelief.

So they shook on it.

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**So should I continue? **


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Wow! Thanks so much for all your reviews. I didn't think I would get that much. Thanks, means a lot. **

**Oh, and a quick note… this story takes place sometime after Minimal Loss and takes place during the winter. I also haven't decided where this story is going, as I didn't expect to get that many reviews. So I don't know who she'll end up with, for I like all of the pairings. Maybe I'll do a poll later or something. Haha. We'll see.**

**Anywho… **

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**Chapter 2**

One hundred bucks was the winning price.

And Reid was not winning.

Emily was laughing hysterically at some joke Morgan had told her, and there wasn't a doubt in Reid's mind that it was about him. She laughed again.

Yeah, he was definitely losing the bet.

Sighing dramatically, he turned to stare out the window. An urgent case had stopped them from going out to the bar and Morgan, Hotch, Emily, Rossi and he were now on their way to hell.

Winterville, Maine had a population of only one hundred and ninety-six, and the temperature for tonight was to be around five degrees. It would be cold and snowy when they got there, and to make matters worse there was a sixty percent chance for even _more _snow the next day. To him, it was hell and he silently wondered if JJ had picked the case just to spite him. After all, since she was nearly eight months pregnant, she had been forced to stay behind. However, JJ had assured him that she did not have a choice. With nine teens dead, they couldn't wait for a tenth.

A laugh interrupted him from his thoughts and he bitterly turned in the direction.

It was Emily, _again. _

Reid glared at Morgan as he watched him seductively whisper something into her ear, and whatever he had said caused her to laugh yet again. He had been stupid to take on the bet, but it frustrated him to no end that Morgan _always _won. It was stupid, really – after all, this was _Emily_, but for once, he just wanted – no, needed – to beat his friend at something other than statistics.

"Earth to Reid…"

"Oh, sorry," he muttered, and quickly moved his rook two spaces to the right.

Rossi laughed, and threw a glance over at Morgan and Emily. "Stop worrying."

"I'm not."

"Checkmate." Rossi smiled.

Reid frowned as he examined the board. "I am going to take a nap," he announced, finally admitting defeat.

"Hotch, chess?" Rossi asked as he began to set up another game.

Hotch nodded, but not before taking a quick glance at the laughing Emily. "Sure."

Reid slowly plopped down on the coach and eyed his colleagues with interest. When Morgan caught his gaze, Reid didn't hesitate to ask, "What are you laughing about?"

"Nothing," Morgan replied quickly, which only caused Emily to stifle another laugh.

"Nothing?"

"I thought you were going to take a nap."

"I am."

Emily immediately became serious as she observed the odd behavior between the two. "What's with you guys, today? Did you get into a fight again?" All eyes, including Hotch and Rossi, turned to her and she felt her cheeks flush. "What?"

"Nothing," Morgan and Reid told her, while Rossi laughed and Hotch glared.

"I'm going to take a nap, so if you'll excuse me…" Reid turned his back to them and within minutes the sound of his even breathing could be heard throughout the plane.

"What aren't you telling me?" Emily questioned Morgan, her eyebrows raised.

Morgan dropped his eyes shyly. "It's honestly nothing," he whispered back. "It's nothing me and Reid can't handle."

"…Okay."

"Emily!"

They all jumped, startled by the sudden shout from Reid. Emily threw a worried glance towards Morgan, who looked just as confused as she did.

"Emily…," Reid screamed again as he thrashed around on the couch. An inch more to the right and he would be on the floor. "No…not her," he whispered raspy, fear sneaking into his voice.

Confused, Emily glanced at the men around her, who all just shrugged. "Should we wake him?"

"Cyrus… no…." Reid pleaded, his eyes shut tight.

Emily frowned. She had no idea that Reid was having nightmares about their most recent abduction. She had told him it wasn't his fault. Cyrus would have killed him if she hadn't said it was her. Why couldn't he see that? Sighing dramatically, she walked over to the couch and began to shake him awake.

"Reid, wake up."

"No… please, it's me. Not her. "

"Reid," she said louder.

This time, he shot up, just barely missing a collision with their heads.

"Hey," she said calmly. "You okay?"

His eyes darted around frantically until he met her gaze. "It was so real." He slowly reached up to touch her eye that had once been bruised. "So real."

"I'm okay," she assured him.

Reid wrapped his arms around her suddenly and pulled her into a giant hug. She was taken back by the gesture, but she didn't pull away. With Emily facing away from the others, Reid winked and gave two thumbs up to Morgan.

Finally realizing that it was all an act, all the men shot confused glances at each other. Had Reid just fooled them all into getting close to Emily?

"Son of a…" Morgan muttered under his breath and he quickly gave Reid the finger. Two could play this game. If Reid wanted war, then war it shall be.

Hotch frowned, suddenly having the urge to pry Emily from the young doctor's grip. "You've got to be kidding me," he exclaimed, ready to move, but Rossi grabbed his arm.

"Are you okay?" Emily whispered into Reid's ear, oblivious to the men behind her.

Reid immediately became serious as he pulled away to face her. "I think so." Even to himself he sounded unsure, and he silently wondered where he had learned to act.

"Reid, why didn't you tell me you were having nightmares?"

She placed a reassuring hand on his shoulder, and Reid felt his hopes sky-rocketing that he had pulled her attention away from Morgan. "I thought… I didn't think it was necessary…"

"You should have told me."

"I'm sorry." And he truly was. Maybe, not for the same reasons as she thought, but he still felt bad about lying.

Taking a seat beside him on the couch, she forced him to look her in the eye. "It wasn't your fault." When Reid didn't answer, she continued, "He would have killed you, Reid. Besides, I have nightmares every now and then too."

"You do?" He squeaked out.

"Me too."

They both shot Morgan confused glances.

"I have nightmares too," Morgan lied, and he quickly hopped up to sit on the other side of her.

Emily smiled warmly. "You do? About what?"

"The cases that go cold. About Cyrus. You."

"You weren't there," Reid snapped, knowing exactly what Morgan was doing.

With Emily sandwiched between the two men, she draped an arm around each of them and pulled them closer. "That's why we have each other."

"Yeah," Morgan leaned his head on her shoulder and Reid quickly mimicked him.

Hotch buried his head in his hands and muttered, "Will this ever end?"

Rossi shrugged and moved his bishop. "Checkmate."

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**Ooh, so don't worry about Hotch and Morgan. I promise they'll each have their own chapter with Emily. =] **

**Hope this one was okay. **

**~K**


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

It was almost seven o'clock, they had cracked the case over an hour ago, and Morgan had _finally _gotten Emily alone. Of course, he only had an hour to spend with her, but it was better than nothing. For the past three days, Reid wouldn't let Emily out of his sight and Morgan wasn't backing down either. It didn't help that Hotch had not once partnered him or Reid up with Emily. What was the deal with that anyway? Emily was _always _paired off with him. Sometimes, Hotch seriously pissed him off.

"Do you like it?" he asked her sheepishly. It unnerved him a little that her opinion truly mattered to him.

Her famous, genuine smile graced her lips and she nodded as she took a glance around.

A thick blanket of snow covered the gently rolling hills and it sparkled as if it were truly magic. A beautiful stone path carefully weaved its way through the small park, and every tree that outlined the path, was lit up with gold Christmas lights. The park wasn't crowded in the slightest, and the only sounds came from the laughter of children who were sledding down the large hill. It truly was a winter wonderland.

"How did you find this place?" Emily raised an eyebrow.

He shrugged. "Someone mentioned it."

She laughed when she saw him sticking out his tongue.

"Morgan, what are you doing?"

"I'm trying to catch the snowflakes with my tongue," he told her. However, he was quickly brought back to reality when he felt something cold and wet hit his back. He turned around and found Emily armed with a snowball. "What was that for?" he asked.

Emily stifled a laugh. "I have always wanted to do that," she told him as she sent another snowball flying his way. It hit his head.

"Hey! You asked for it." He quickly made his own snowball and threw it at her.

She let out a sound somewhere between a laugh and a shriek, and he could have sworn it was the most beautiful sound he had ever heard. Laughing loudly, he scoped up a pile of snow and threw it at her, but it hit the tree she was now hiding behind.

"You're cheating," Morgan accused as he ran after her. He grabbed another handful of snow and crept to where she was hiding. "Emily," he pronounced slowly. "Come out. Come –" She jumped out suddenly, and since Morgan was not prepared for the sudden attack, he lost his balance and they both fell to the ground. He could hear her laughing, and when he opened his eyes he was suddenly aware of how close they were. She was lying on top of him and their mouths were inches apart. It was the perfect moment to kiss her, but before he could, she rolled off of him. He groaned inwardly, but laughed when he saw her beginning to make a snow angel.

"I can't remember the last time I had this much fun," she told him dazed.

A sudden flicker of light caught his eye. He looked up and a smile lit his face. "Look, a shooting star."

My dad use to tell me that every time you saw one it was a soul going to heaven." Her voice, it was so lifeless, full of pain, broken, and he desperately wanted to know the story behind her words.

"I like that," he told her.

"But then I found out that shooting stars are not stars at all. They're just rocks that enter the atmosphere and catch fire under friction."

"What's the fun in that?" Morgan questioned. She shrugged, so he leaned over to whisper in her ear, lingering a little longer than necessary. "But you can still wish on it. Can't you? What's stopping you?"

"Why? What you're wishing on is only a trail of debris," she told him bluntly.

He smirked at her logic, but quickly shook his head, dismissing her answer. "Don't think about it like that. Think about them as…angels – granting a wish to someone who cares."

She laughed mockingly. "Angels? _Seriously_?"

Morgan shot her a playful glare, and in an a more intense tone, he questioned, "If you could have one wish, what would you wish for?" He watched her as she stared up into the starry night sky. For a moment, he thought that she was ignoring him, but to his shock she actually answered the question.

"Something I can't have," she whispered, losing herself in a thousand thoughts, not one of which Morgan could guess. "But it doesn't matter," she added, recovering quickly from whatever it was she had been thinking about. "Wishes don't come true."

"Sure they come true, but only if your wish is reasonable. You can't go wishing someone back from the dead. It's not possible," he told her so softly, she had to lean in closer to hear him. "And when you make a wish it doesn't mean that it'll happen in the near future. It could happen within years. You just have to be patient."

"And why is that?"

"Because some wishes are harder to fulfill than others and they want it to be just perfect."

She smirked with amusement. "And what do they – the people or angels who grant them – get out of it?"

"A smile. A full-hearted smile."

"It seems like a lot for just a smile," she pointed out stubbornly.

He nodded, grinning softly at her. "You'd be surprised. A person would do a lot to make someone smile."

"But it doesn't matter," she told him, completely ignoring his answer. "Dreams, miracles… they're all just a load of crap. Believe me. I would know."

"Is it possible that the miracle was not something that happened to you, but rather something that didn't?"

Emily regarded him intently, contemplating his answer with curiosity. She had never once thought of it like that before. And then she busted out laughing at another thought. "God, you are _such _a cliché."

"You got that right." He showed off his award winning smile once more, but immediately became serious and tapped her shoulder. "What's bothering you?"

She rolled over on her side, ignoring the cold snow pressing into her. "It's disappointing to know that you can see right through me."

He chuckled. "It's what we do best."

"It's just… if you spent your life concentrating on what everyone else thought of you, would you forget who you really were? What if the face you showed the world turned out to be a mask with nothing beneath it?" She sighed dramatically when he didn't reply. "Am I making sense?"

Morgan found himself nodding. He knew she was talking about their latest case. Ten teens dead and all of them had skeletons in their closets. But then, who didn't? "I think we all go through that at some point. Trying to figure out where you belong, but everything is okay in the end."

"It wasn't okay for Kali or June or –"

"It wasn't the end then."

She raised an eyebrow. "They're dead. I think that counts as the end. Don't you?"

"Things have a way of working out for the best when you let them run their course, Em," he told her honestly. "Everything happens for a reason." Emily nodded before she jumped up and began to walk away from him. "What?" He ran after her. "Was it something I said?"

She was shaking with laughter, and her eyes were sparklingly. "You really _are _a cliché."

---

Reid heard them before he saw them and man was he pissed. Morgan had somehow lost him and he had gotten Emily alone. Did he mention that they had been gone for forty-two minutes? He glanced at the clock in the hotel lobby. Correction. Forty-three minutes and their plane left in a half hour. He grumbled as the laughing couple walked through the lobby doors.

"Where were you two?" Reid confronted them.

"Morgan showed me –" Emily explained, but was cut off.

Derek cut in, "What's it matter to you?"

Reid crossed his arms. "Our plane leaves in a half-hour."

"Correction," someone spoke from behind them. "It's not leaving tonight."

They all glanced at Hotch, who had that same 'Hotchner glare' on his face. "What? Why?" they all asked.

"Snow. They won't take off until it clears."

"We'll have to book new rooms," Rossi chimed in.

Hotch nodded as he headed for the lobby desk. "Hello. We would like to book three new rooms. It appears our plane won't be taking off after-all. It would be nice if we could stay in the same rooms..."

A short man, with a horrible hair-cut and fake smile, typed something into his computer. "No. Sorry. No can do," he told them, his accent thicker than ever.

"What? Why?"

"Only two rooms."

Hotch frowned. "But you weren't booked this morning."

The man glared back. "Well we're booked now." Hotch flashed his badge, hoping it would help, but all he got was another dirty look. "Two rooms or none. Your choice."

He heard Emily sigh in frustration from behind him. "Hotch, just book the two rooms. The roads are too icy to go anywhere and I don't mind sharing with a guy." She laughed at the thought. "I'm capable of sharing a room with the opposite sex."

"You can stay with me, Em," Morgan said smoothly, slinging an arm around her shoulder as he did so.

Before she could answer Reid added, "Or me."

"No. Reid and Morgan, you'll share a room with Rossi," Hotch nearly snapped, a small undertone of annoyance in his voice. "Emily, you'll share a room with me and that's final."

He glared at all of them and no one was dumb enough to argue.


	4. Chapter 4

**T****hanks to everyone who reviewed. Means a lot and keeps me writing! **

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Chapter 4

Saying Morgan was pissed was an understatement.

If Hotch didn't want to be a part of the bet, then he sure as hell should mind his own damn business. This was between himself and Reid. Not Hotch. If Hotch wanted in, then all he had to do was ask, but to interfere like that just pissed Morgan off.

"Take a picture. It'll last longer."

Morgan shot Rossi a glare, but lightened it with a smile. He hadn't realized he had been staring at the joining doors that led to Hotch and Emily's room. So maybe he was taking this a little too far, but he still couldn't help but ask, "You don't think Hotch will tell her? Do you?" Women and guns were not a good idea, especially if they were angry. Emily Prentiss had a gun.

Rossi chuckled, but shook his head. "No, I don't think so. If he told her about it, then she would just get mad at him for not telling her sooner. I don't think he'd tell."

"I think Hotch needs to stay out of this."

"_I _think you're being a little melodramatic," Rossi told him honestly, as he lugged his suitcase onto one of the twin beds.

Morgan shrugged, knowing that his colleague was right. Sighing heavily, he turned to the remaining bed and raised an eyebrow when he saw who had already claimed it. "Who says you get the bed?"

"I have a bad back," Reid told him.

"Liar."

"I do."

"Rock, paper, scissors," Morgan challenged, extending his hand. He refused to sleep on the floor without a fight.

"Fine."

"One. Two. Three." They both revealed their weapon. Morgan rock. Reid paper.

Morgan glared at his younger colleague, frustrated that he couldn't beat him at the simple game. "How the hell did you know I was going to do that?"

"Well," Reid began. "Rock is played the most, especially in males. Now, I could have assumed that you would have picked paper, since it's the least thrown. Rock was also what you picked the last time we played, but the chances of you listening _and _remembering to what I told you, were slim. Even if you _did_ pick paper, we would have had to rematch because I picked paper."

"Two out of three."

"You're going to lose," Rossi told him. "I'll take the floor. You two can take the beds."

"No," they both said in unison.

Rossi rolled his eyes. "Okay. While you children figure this out, I'm going to hop in the shower."

Morgan extended his hand. He was more than determined to beat Reid at the game. At_ least_ once. Was that to much to ask? "Ready? One. Two. Three." They both revealed their weapon. Morgan rock. Reid paper.

"I hate this game," Morgan muttered and flung his head back in defeat.

Reid smiled as he took his place on the bed. "Really? I love it."

"I'm not even going to ask how you knew."

"I easily assumed that you were going to trick me by playing the same –"

"Reid, don't make me hit you."

He kept his mouth shut.

--

"Thank you," Hotch told her the minute she exited the bathroom. He'd spent the last half-hour going over excuses why he made the sleeping arrangements the way he did. Surely, she knew something was different and off about his attitude.

"For what?" she asked him as she ran a brush through her wet hair.

When he looked up to meet her gaze, he lost his voice. He'd never seen her in her pajamas before, and God, was she beautiful. Cotton pants and a very thin tank top. A _very _thin tank top. And then he felt his stomach clench at the thought. Where had these thoughts come from? This was his subordinate. Hell, this was _Emily. _Thoughts of Haley were long gone, and to be completely frank, it scared the hell out of him. Forcing himself to look away, he told her, "Sharing a room with me. Rossi snores like a foghorn and Reid would have just been awkward."

"And Morgan?" she asked, and when he couldn't think of anything to say, she continued, "I know you're mad at him."

"You do?"

"Aren't you?"

Hotch focused his attention on the blank tv; he didn't want to look her in the eye and lie. "I don't know –"

She rolled her eyes, interrupting him mid sentence. "Please, don't go there." She gave him an incredulous look. "I do this for a living. I can tell when two –_ three_ – people are butting heads."

He raised an eyebrow, wondering if she knew something. "Three?"

"Reid," she huffed as if it were obvious.

The corners of his lips tugged upward. She was good at what she did, that was for sure. "Morgan's irritating me because of some stupid thing he and Reid got themselves into. That's about it." It was a white lie, he knew, so he looked away from her as he said it.

If it wasn't for the tone of his voice, she would have pressed the issue further, but because the situation seemed to bother him, she dropped it.

He watched as she gracefully flung herself onto the remaining bed. God, she was beautiful. His mouth became dry and he knew he was staring, but he couldn't find the will power to look away. If she knew he was staring, she didn't show it, which made it all the harder to pull his attention elsewhere. It wasn't until he saw her shudder, did he mange to find his voice, "Cold?"

"Freezing."

"I think the heater is broken," he told her. "When you were in the shower, I couldn't get it to work."

"This is the shittest hotel I've ever been to."

Hotch chuckled at that. "The food service is crap too."

"You ordered food?" she asked, looking around the room with eager eyes.

"_Tried_. Apparently they don't serve after eight." He threw a glance her way, and that was all it took for him to head straight for his suitcase. He pulled out a gray sweatshirt and threw it at her.

It hit her in the head, and he had to stifle a laugh as she pulled it off her. "What…?" she asked him.

"Aren't you cold?"

She hesitated, holding the soft material in her hands. "Well, yeah, but –"

"Take it," he insisted.

"Won't you be cold?"

Hotch shrugged. "Probably," he told her honestly, which got a chuckle from her. "But I'm not the one wearing a tank top."

"I always sleep in tank tops," she protested, but still pulled the sweatshirt over her head as she did so. In the blink of an eye they were plunged into utter darkness and Emily let out a heart-filled laugh.

"You've got to be kidding me," Hotch muttered under his breath, and though he couldn't see her, he turned to the laughing Emily. "How can you possibly find this funny?"

She struggled to breathe. "First the rooms get screwed up. The heater is broken. The service is crap and now the power went out. How can you _not _think this is funny?"

Hotch found himself joining in with her. "I don't think it could get worse."

Emily's laugh faded out, but he could still hear a smile on her lips as she spoke, "You never know with our luck."

"I think there's a flashlight in my bag." He jumped off the bed, but as fate would have it, Hotch tripped over his shoes and found himself falling to the floor. He reached out his hand to grasp the counter to steady him, but by doing so, he spun around and crashed into something hard.

"Hotch," she sounded panicked. "Are you okay?"

He forced himself off the ground. "Yeah. I'm –" he trailed off, groaning in pain as he stubbed his big toe against God knew what. He gripped his toe in pain, but lost his balance and then fell foreword once again. This time, however, instead of landing on the hard floor, he landed on Emily's bed, with her pinned underneath of him. "Sorry."

She laughed and that's when he realized how close they were. He could feel her breath on his neck, and he knew if he stayed in that position any longer he would do something. Desperately, he struggled to get off of her, but of course this only made things worse and they ended up banging heads. "Ow," came her amused reply.

"Fuck. I'm sorry…"

"Hotch, damn it. Stop moving."

He stopped. "Sorry."

Emily chuckled again. "I think my earring is caught on your shirt or something."

The lights flickered back on before he could reply, and sure enough Emily's earring was caught on his shirt. "Don't move," he told her calmly." How it got stuck on his shirt, he couldn't be sure, but he knew he needed to get off her and fast. She was pinned underneath him, they were in a position that was clearly unethical, and his heart began to beat faster as his mind began to wonder on it's own. For a brief moment, he imagined her arching against him and he momentarily forgot what he was doing. It was her touch that brought him back.

"You're taking to long," she told him heatedly as she removed his hand from her ear. Within seconds she had the earring detached from his shirt, and just as he was about to move, he noticed the cut on her forehead.

"You're bleeding. My watch must have scratched you or something." He reached up a hand to wipe away the blood and that's when he heard her sharp intake of breath. "There," he said, never taking his eyes off of her. It was a blur who made the first move, but it didn't matter, and he found himself leaning in towards her. Just as he was about to grace his lips with her, the alarm went off.

He cursed, rolling off her quickly. Hotch desperately wanted to kill whoever had the room last and forgot to turn of the alarm. He pushed random buttons on the alarm until it went off.

Emily dropped her eyes. "I think I'm going to go to bed now."

Hotch didn't bother mentioning that it was only eight-thirty. "Me too."

"Goodnight, Hotch."

"Goodnight, Emily."

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**Baha! I had fun writing this chapter. Found it amusing. Hoped you liked it too.**

**~kitale. **


	5. Chapter 5

**T****hanks to everyone who reviewed. Really does mean a lot. **

**So I wasn't going to update this, but then I got this weird inspiration and realized I do actually like this story. Idk. I go through these weird phases and think my stories are crap, so I don't update forever. But whatevs. I'm back. Well sorta. I'm actually going away for most of the summer, so maybe I'll be back sometime in August. Who knows. **

**Well anywho... **

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**Chapter 5**

_He was crying. _

_And they were laughing. _

_He was tied to a pole, wearing nothing but his boxers, while they stood around him, laughing! Tears threatened to fall, and only then did he realize that he was cold. Really cold. He wasn't embarrassed, though he should be. Instead, he was angry and upset that he had believed _her. _The prettiest girl in school. Why would she _ever _ask him to meet her behind the stadium? On some level, he had convinced himself that maybe she really did enjoy his not-so-secret Santa gift, but now he knew the real reason. _

_Their faces were large and everything blurred as they laughed mockingly at him. One by one they turned into demons, their eyes red with cruelty. And in the blink of an eye, they disappeared and he took their spot. _

_Now that he was no longer tied to a pole, he glanced around. Morgan, Hotch, and Rossi were standing next to him – laughing at a girl. He recoiled in shock when he realized that it was Emily who they were laughing at. Tears glistened in her eyes. Not once had he seen Emily Prentiss cry, and yet she was crying now. The sight of it made him feel sick_

_Betrayal, hatred, and anger contorted her face, and Reid shook as she spoke one word so soft he hardly heard her. _

"_Why?" she said. "Why?" _

Reid woke up with a start as he landed heavily on the floor of the plane. For one horrible moment, his stomach dropped inside of him at the realization he didn't know where he was. But then his eyes focused on the familiar windows and the kind faces of his friends, and he realized that he was on the jet.

"Reid? Are you okay?"

He blinked rapidly to clear his pounding head, and when the person hovering above him slowly came into focus, he stumbled backwards. "Emily," he gasp out as he struggled to sit up, but he only managed to whack her in the head with his.

"Ow. Shit. Ow," she said as she winced in pain.

"Ow," Reid echoed. "God, how hard is your head?"

Emily slumped down beside him on the floor. "Ow. Damn it. Why do people keep banging heads with me? First Hotch, now you. Ow."

Both Reid and Morgan shot Hotch an incredulously glances, but Hotch refused to meet their sharp gazes. Thankfully, their eyes didn't stay on him long, because Morgan adverted his attention back to the young doctor.

"Another nightmare?" Morgan asked in a way that clearly showed he didn't believe it.

But from the way Reid visibly shook and the way he scooted_ away _from Emily, Hotch knew that Reid truly did have a nightmare. This time it wasn't fake or to just get Emily's attention. Morgan must have noticed this too, because his gaze actually softened, and he apologized with a silent dialogue.

"Are you okay?" Emily asked him again.

Reid stared at her for the longest time before answering, "Yeah."

But he didn't sound so sure.

"Here, Em," Morgan said, pushing his cold water bottle against her forehead. "It will feel better." And in a way only Morgan could, he gave her a smile that could lighten up anybody's day, and then the man gazed into her eyes longingly.

Something inside of Hotch snapped then. He just couldn't take it. Emily wasn't around for their amusement. She was their friend. And friends don't treat friends like shit. "Emily," he said, and no one missed the way he used her first name instead of her last. "Do you want to play chess?"

It was a long shot and everybody knew it, but only Morgan was angry enough to call him out on it. "You never play chess."

"I want to play now," he practically growled.

"With Emily? Why not Reid or me?" Morgan shot back.

"I asked Emily."

"I don't want to play," Reid spoke up.

And because Rossi couldn't help himself, he added, "I will." As a result, everybody sent him a death glare, to which he laughed.

"Are you okay?" Reid asked Emily, who looked ready to kill someone. "I'm sorry we hit heads."

Morgan's head instantly snapped towards them. "Yeah? Are you okay? You guys really hit each other hard."

"Are you sure you don't want to play chess?"

"_Enough_," Emily shouted suddenly. "Damn it. Enough."

The plane went deathly silent, the only sound coming from the soft hum of the jet's engine. If a pin dropped you would have been able to hear it, and this was why no one even dared to breathe. They could see how mad she was now, and though it was rare, it still happened and nothing good ever came out of it. It was as simple as that. You didn't want to get Emily Prentiss mad. Enough said. If she wanted too, she could make your life a living hell. She didn't even have to pull a few strings to do it.

"Emily…" Rossi tried, but she only cut him off.

"No. Don't _Emily_ me," she shouted at him, practically hysteric. And then she whirled on Morgan so fast, he had to grab her arm to keep himself from falling over. However, she just roughly shrugged him off her, to which he did actually end up falling into the chair next to him. "I don't know what the hell you guys are up too, but that's enough. Just stop it. I don't like it."

"Emily," Morgan tried, "we are not –"

"Bull. I know something is up. I'm not blind." God, she was angry. Sure she had gotten mad before, but never had she gotten mad at them. "Hotch is mad at you for some stupid reason. You and Reid _won't _leave me alone. You're always there. _Always_. Just hovering over my shoulder. Stop it." She paused suddenly, but Hotch should have known that Rossi and him wouldn't get off that easy. "And you two. I know you know what's going on. _All _of you have been just so annoying this case. I don't know what you guys have got yourself into, but I know it involves me, so just stop. Leave. Me. Alone." And with one final huff, she roughly sat in the seat farthest away from all of them.

The rest of the plane ride was spent in silence.

----

It wasn't until after the long trip and after they entered the BAU, did Emily finally begin to cool off. For the last few hours, they had been afraid to even talk to her. When she was mad, she was mad. Morgan once said that she made a guy from the State Department cry by only using her words. Something told Hotch that Morgan wasn't lying about it either.

But this outburst of hers made Hotch wonder what she would have done if she actually knew about the bet. They'd probably all be dead. Or worse. She'd leave. Emily was strong, and a damn good FBI agent. Then he thought about their almost kiss. He didn't want to lose her over something this stupid, so the moment she left to go home, he had the guys stick around for a meeting.

Which was why they were in the conference room at ten o'clock at night, instead of at home in bed.

"I think you know why we're here," Hotch began.

Thankfully, Reid actually agreed with him. "I think this should stop."

Morgan's face was nothing but triumph. "Yes!" he shouted, pumping two fist in the air. "I win."

Everyone glared at him. "No. No one does," Hotch pushed sternly.

"Lover boy, quit. Therefore," Morgan reasoned, "I win. How much money was it Reid?"

Reid looked mortified. "That's not fair!"

"There_ is _no more bet," Hotch reassured.

"A bet's a bet. Morgan wins. There. It's over," Rossi said, and because he liked to stir the pot, he added, "Unless someone else takes Reid's place."

Everyone turned to Hotch, who masked a face of horror. "What? No. I will _not _do that to Emily."

"Dude," Morgan reasoned. "She's not going to find out."'

"I don't care."

"I'm not paying him," Reid argued.

"I win!" Morgan gloated. "Fair and square."

Hotch pinched the bridge of his nose. "For the love of God. When will this stop?"

"As soon as Reid pays up," Morgan told him.

"What!? I'm not paying."

And because the day couldn't get any worse, all hell broke loose. Morgan and Reid started arguing with each other, while Rossi smirked in the corner. Hotch wanted nothing more than for this to be over with. Over and done, but if Morgan won, there would be no end. They would never hear the end of it, and then eventually Morgan would let it slip while talking to Garcia. From there, Garcia would confide in JJ, and then they'd both tell Emily. The thought of her finding out about this made him sick. But Morgan wouldn't gloat about something he lost.

So before Hotch could stop himself, he took some money out of his wallet, and slammed it on the table, making everybody jump. "I'm in."

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**Okay, so in reality they probably would have just dropped the bet, but then there wouldn't be a story. Now would there? I dropped Reid out because someone mentioned that he probably wouldn't be in this, or he'd be the first to drop out because of the way he was treated in the past. So that's why he's not in it, but don't worry. He's still a big part. Garcia and JJ will be coming in soon. **

**Oh btw, since I have no idea where i'm going with this story I made a poll. I just want to see what you guys think. So vote (and review) away.**


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